Operation Southern Outreach

Operation Southern Outreach (25 January-12 February 1952) was the codename given to the United States occupation of Panama in early 1952. The operation took two weeks and four days to complete, and it had minimal American losses, while the small Panamanian Army was destroyed in the short operation. Its goal was to secure a base for the United States in Central America from which they could threaten socialist Venezuela, and President Arnulfo Arias was deposed and replaced by US puppet Javier Mendez Cuellar.

Prelude
On 30 January 1951, the United States launched Operation Blackshadow, invading Guatemala and toppling Davor Marcos' socialist and pro-Soviet Union regime. President Harry Truman was concerned with the spread of communism in Latin America, which was seen as America's backyard. Even more threatening was Venezuela, a major petroleum exporter that was drawing closer to alignment with the USSR, and it had a large army and a larger country. It had the possibility of posing a threat to the US and its South American allies if it were to embrace communism and align with the Warsaw Pact, so President Truman took steps to contain Venezuela. President Laureano Gomez of Colombia refused to give the US transit rights to move through its territory for an invasion, so Truman decided on another plan. The Panama Canal Zone was a possible choice for a launching pad for an invasion, but it was too small to fit several US troops; Truman decided to take over the whole of Panama in a speedy invasion. After a few weeks of military buildup - most of the US forces coming directly from Guatemala - Truman decided that the US was ready to deliver the coup de grace to the defenseless nation of Panama.

Operation
On 25 January 1952, just five years before the first anniversary of the invasion of Guatemala, the United States commenced its invasion of Panama. Green Berets special forces and US Army mechanized infantry headed from the Panama Canal Zone to quickly occupy Panama City, leaving Balboa and seizing Panama City after a short fight with Panamanian soldiers. US Air Force planes bombed Panamanian forces in their positions, and the Americans tore through the inexperienced and poorly-armed Panamanian troops. After the South American side of Panama was secured, the Americans went on to cross to the Central American side of Panama and secure the new capital of Colon on 31 January 1952. That day, the United Nations issued a condemnation of the United States' actions in Panama, and the USA agreed to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict; Truman lied through his teeth and refused to dignify Arias' peace overtures with a response. On 9 February 1952, the Americans occupied the new Panamanian capital of David, the last stronghold of the government. The invasion had ended in a little over two weeks, and Arias was deposed and replaced by Javier Mendez Cuellar, who ran Panama as a US colony. The operation was swift and quick, and the US was provided with a new base in Central America.